


I Loved Her First

by AelinElentiya



Series: The Dreams That Are Answered [5]
Category: A Court of Thorns and Roses Series - Sarah J. Maas
Genre: Father/Daughter, Feels, Multi, Proposals, Requested fic, Tumblr Ask Box Fic, Weddings, post acomaf
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-01
Updated: 2016-11-01
Packaged: 2018-08-28 09:09:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,907
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8439769
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AelinElentiya/pseuds/AelinElentiya
Summary: Requested by Feysand17: Rhys meets their daughters first boyfriendSnippet:But he had loved her first, and no matter how much time passed, Rhiannon would always be his little girl, and nothing could ever come between the bond of a father and his daughter.





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [TheBookishSoul](https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheBookishSoul/gifts).



> Note: 
> 
> It took me like half a month to finish this thing, but I finally did it. This was requested by Feysand17 over on Tumblr (her request disappeared so I can’t see the original message, but she wanted Rhys meeting their daughter’s first boyfriend, basically. So here it is. I hope it’s what you hoped for!! This was my first requested fic so I really really hope you enjoy it! 
> 
> In case you can’t tell by the title, I was inspired by “I Loved Her First” by Heartland, as well as “My Little Girl” by Tim McGraw, and “Always Be Your Baby” by the Faith Crew (Tribute to Natalie Grant).

I Loved Her First  
AelinElentiya 

 

For Mary//Feysand17 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Rhys knew two things at once when Rhiannon first introduced them to Damien Nolan. She was fourteen and training at the Illyrian steppes (she’d insisted on it, despite the fact that she did not have wings of her own unless she used her shifting powers), and she had come home for one of their weekly family dinners in the House of Wind with her “best friend” Damien, so they could meet him.   
The first—and perhaps the most important—thing he knew was that this Illyrian boy with dark hair and green eyes looked at Rhiannon was though the sun set and rose at her command, as though she was the centre of his universe and he would do anything for her, was in love with his daughter, whether Rhiannon knew it or not.  
The second thing was this:   
Rhiannon had suddenly blossomed into a beautiful young woman before their very eyes, and it terrified him for a brief moment. It felt like it had been just yesterday that he was holding her for the first time—just yesterday that she was standing on his feet while they waltzed in the living room, giggling and laughing. Just yesterday that she sat on his shoulders to see the fireworks they’d set off for the Winter Solstice and Feyre’s birthday, and falling asleep in his arms. Had it really been years already since she had crawled into bed with them because it was storming in Velaris and the thunder terrified her? He remembered when she was four, and she’d come to him crying, scared that they were going to forget all about her once the new baby was born, and Rhys had held her and sang her lullabies until she wasn’t worried anymore.   
One of the most vivid memories he had was when she was six, and Kiran, her new baby brother, had wings but she didn’t, and he remembered how sad she had looked, and how it had broken his heart when she’d asked him if she was broken because she didn’t have wings, but her little brother did, and it wasn’t fair because she loved flying, and he’d wiped her tears away and told her that it didn’t matter if she had wings or not, because she was special and perfect just the way she was.   
So the second thing he knew was that he was proud of the woman she was becoming, but terrified that she was growing up so quickly at the same time. And he had loved her long before the first breath she had breathed, and she would always be his little girl.

 

***

 

It took a hell of a lot to surprise Rhys, let alone leave him completely speechless, but he hadn’t expected Damien Nolan to show up at the townhouse in Velaris in the middle of the week—without Rhiannon at his side—and ask to speak to he and Feyre both.   
So now Feyre, Rhys and Damien were all sitting in the living room in awkward silence. Rhys knew what was coming—had been expecting it since Rhiannon had brought him to Starfall the year before and told them they were a couple—but now that it was happening, he wished it wasn’t. He wished that time would slow down a little. Rhiannon was twenty now, and as beautiful as her mother (except that she had dark curls and violet eyes), and powerful and strong and brave and wickedly smart and kind and gentle all at once. She had inherited the best of both of them, and although all of their children looked like perfect mixes of both of their parents, Rhiannon was the only one that reminded him the most of the sister he had lost so many years ago now, as she was the only one that had gotten the dark curls that the women in his family had had for generations.   
Still, as proud as he was of her, he wished that she hadn’t grown up quite so quickly. But Damien was exactly the kind of person that they had wanted for her. Kind and respectful, wise and brave—he treated their daughter like the princess she was, and never doubted her, never pushed her into doing anything, and he always supported her decisions. All of that was good, but he made Rhiannon happy, and that was the most important thing.   
“So, this is a bit of a surprise,” Feyre said finally, cutting Rhys out of his thoughts. “Is everything alright?”   
“Yes. Everything’s fine,” he said. “I apologize for dropping by without telling you I was coming first, but as I said before, I wanted to speak to you, and Rhiannon is busy this afternoon picking out colours for the rooms in the house, so I thought it was the perfect opportunity.”  
“Oh, it’s fine. You’re always welcome—we’re always happy to see you,” Feyre said, smiling at him. “So. What is it you wanted to speak to us about?”  
“Well...” Damien swallowed, and took a deep breath. “I know Rhiannon thinks it’s unnecessary, but it’s tradition, and anyway, I respect the two of you too much to not ask first.”  
Feyre frowned, and Rhys didn’t need to read her mind to know that she was trying to figure out what Damien was trying to say.   
“Before you say anything,” Rhys said. “I need to know. You’re completely sure about this? Because once you ask, there’s no going back—no changing your mind. If you do, if you hurt her, I promise you I will hurt you, Damien. I told you that once, and I meant it then, and I mean it now. So before you say your piece, you better be completely sure that this is what you want for the rest of your life.”  
“I am,” Damien said. “I am completely sure. If I wasn’t, I wouldn’t be here now.”  
Rhys nodded. Understanding suddenly dawned on Feyre’s face, and she looked at them both in surprise. Oh. He’s going to ask what I think he is, isn’t he? She sent down the bond, and he tried not to smile as he sent back his confirmation.   
Damien had taken a deep breath again. “Lady Feyre, Lord Rhysand. I’m sure you both know this, but... I love your daughter. I have loved Rhiannon since I first laid eyes on her. And I know... I know that she could do much better than me, that she deserves better than me, that you probably had someone else in mind for her. But I want you to know that I love her, and if she’ll have me, I will protect her and cherish her for the rest of my life. So I’m asking... I’m asking for your permission, for your blessing, to ask Rhiannon to marry me.”  
Feyre gasped, her eyes shimmering with tears. “That was beautiful,” she said. “And Damien, you know that Rhys and I always told Rhiannon that we didn’t care who she married, if she married at all, as long as that person made her happy. We never cared if she ended up with some high lord’s son or other nobility or not, as long as she’s happy. If that’s you, and I believe it is, then yes. You have my permission, my blessing, to marry her, should she say yes.”  
Damien looked relived. “Thank you, Lady Feyre,” he said.   
“Oh, stop calling me that,” she said. “I insist that you call me Feyre, especially now that we are to be family.”  
“Alright,” he said, and he smiled a bit.   
Rhys coughed, reminding him that he was there. “There’s not much I can say that Feyre didn’t,” he said. “The hardest part about being a father is understanding that your daughter is eventually going to find someone that she loves just as much as she loves you, but knowing that you’ll always have a special place in her heart. You’ll understand that one day. I hoped she’d find someone like you, though. All I ever want for her is for her to be safe and happy. I know she is both with you. So yes, Damien, I give you my blessing to marry her. But you must promise me that no harm will ever come to her, that you will provide for her and protect her, and take care of her, listen to her, encourage and support her, and honour her.”  
“I promise,” Damien said. “I promise that I will do all of this. I will lay down my life for her if I need to. I will be her strength when she has none. I will take pride in her joy, and cry when she cries, laugh when she laughs. I promise you this, and I will make sure that I keep this promise for the rest of my life.”   
A few tears slipped down Feyre’s cheeks at their exchange, and when Damien finished speaking, Rhys couldn’t stop the smile that spread across his face.   
“That is all I ask,” he said. “You have my blessing.”   
Feyre reached over and took his hand, smiling as the last of her tears—happy tears, he could tell—fell down her cheeks. “Well! Do you have a ring? Let’s see it,” she said, excitedly.   
“Alright. Good thing I’ve got it with me,” he said. “I couldn’t leave it lying around somewhere. Rhiannon’s snoopy. She’d have found it.”   
Damien pulled out a small, purple velvet box from his pocket, and handed it to Feyre. Rhys leaned in closer as she opened the lid, and gasped.   
The ring was beautiful. Damien certainly had good taste, and he clearly knew what Rhiannon would or wouldn’t like—the ring was exactly her style. In the centre was a huge, bright purple amethyst, surrounded by black onyx in the shape of a star, and the band—which was silver—had lighter purple amethysts around it.   
“It’s perfect,” Feyre gushed. “She’s going to love it.”  
She handed the ring back, and Damien carefully slipped it back into his pocket. He handled the ring with such gentleness that there was no doubt it was something precious to him, and Rhys knew then that he had nothing to worry about.  
If he had to let Rhiannon go, then he was glad he would be giving her to someone like Damien, who was everything he had ever hoped for her.   
Still, that didn’t mean it would be easy for him. In fact, Rhys already knew that walking his daughter, his firstborn child, down the aisle and giving her away to another was going to be one of the hardest things that he would ever do.   
But he had loved her first, and no matter how much time passed, Rhiannon would always be his little girl, and nothing could ever come between the bond of a father and daughter.   
He had loved her first, since she had taken her first breath, since the first time she looked into his eyes and smiled at him. And for a long time, he had been enough for her—he had been her hero, her knight in shining armour. But now she was all grown up, and she would get married soon, so soon. Rhys was not ready, but as long as Rhiannon was happy, that was all he wanted for her.   
And he would always have a place in her heart, no matter what.


End file.
